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Aircraft · Soviet Union · 1941-1954

Ilyushin Il-2

ground-attack aircraft

The Sturmovik was built around a heavy armoured 'bathtub' hull that protected engine and pilot from ground fire, letting it work low over German columns with cannon, rockets and anti-tank bomblets. Stalin reportedly told factory managers the Red Army needed the Il-2 like it needed air and bread, and with over 36,000 built it became the single most-produced military aircraft in history.

Wikipedia

crew1 (early) / 2 (Il-2m3)
armament2x 23mm cannon, rockets, bombs
top speed~400 km/h
produced36,000+

Eastern Front

c/n 7826. This Šturmovík is reported to have been shot down over the Kerch Strait on 1st November 1943. Recovered in 2015, the forward fuselage is complete and in very good condition, while the main wooden sections (wing
c/n 7826. This Šturmovík is reported to have been shot down over the Kerch Strait on 1st November 1943. Recovered in 2015, the forward fuselage is complete and in very good condition, while the main wooden sections (wingAlan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
IL-2
IL-2Dmitry Terekhov from Odintsovo, Russian Federation · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Ilyushin Il-2 of the 30th air regiment, 4th air division Czechoslovak Air Force, 1946
Ilyushin Il-2 of the 30th air regiment, 4th air division Czechoslovak Air Force, 1946Martin Čížek · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

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